Chief marketing officers and top executives from some of the world's most recognizable brands will convene today for "Miami Rocks Marketing," a first-of-its-kind seminar and interactive workshop hosted by Miami University's Farmer School of Business, one of the top 10 public undergraduate business programs in the country.

Students will work in small groups to develop solutions to business issues facing several of the marketing executives. The groups will work side-by-side and get one-on-one, hands-on guidance from the all-star cast of more than a dozen marketing leaders, as well as the faculty members from the Farmer School’s marketing department. Later in the day the teams will present their ideas to a panel of the visiting CMOs followed by an interactive discussion about their respective approaches and suggestions.

“Most people don’t think of Miami University as the ‘Cradle of Marketers,’ but the reality is that our graduates are leading Fortune 500 organizations worldwide,” said Bob Dahlstrom, professor and chair of the marketing department at Miami. “Miami Rocks Marketing will bring together this collective expertise to give our current students a unique networking opportunity, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to talk with and learn directly from marketing experts at the forefront of the industry.”

Rooney collaborated with Dave Knox in presenting the idea for the event to Dahlstrom after realizing that many of the CMOs she was writing about were fellow Miami alumni.

“Miami and the Farmer School of Business have a reputation for giving undergraduates intense, hands-on learning opportunities,” she commented. “This is just another example of that unique approach. This is an amazing panel of senior marketing talent that we’ve assembled. Students will have a unique, up-close-and-personal chance to learn from some of the best minds in the business. We’re looking forward to reconnecting with our Miami roots, and anticipate some very fresh perspectives and ideas from these up-and-coming professionals.”